On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

At a glitzy Los Angeles event Microsoft unveils its next big step as a hardware maker-- Microsoft Surface, a family of 2 Microsoft-branded Windows tablets complete with clever keyboard covers.

The purpose of the Surface tablets is to "prime the pump" for the imminent Windows 8 release, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says.

The Surface comes in 2 varieties-- one running Windows 8 on Intel 22nm Ivy Bridge chips, and the other running Windows RT using an ARM chipset.

The Windows 8 Surface is 13.5mm thick, weighs 860g has a 10.6-inch "ClearType HD" display of unknown resolution and comes inside vapor-deposited (PVD) magnesium case. It carries USB 3.0 and DisplayPort ports and supports stylus input.

The Windows RT version nearly identical in size, only slightly thinner (9.3mm) and lighter (6.6g). It has microSD, USB 2.0 and Micro HD ports and also comes with either 32 or 64GB of storage.

Both tablets carry front- and back-mounted cameras, an integrated kickstand (also made in PVD magnesium), full-size USB ports and dual wifi antennas.

Microsoft also offers 2 varieties of keyboard-equipped magnetic cover-- the Touch Cover (3mm with integrated pressure-sensitive keyboard) and the Type Cover (5mm thick with physical keys and multi-touch trackpad).

Readers with longer memories should remember Microsoft using the Surface name for its table-sized multitouch surfaces... now the Samsung-made "big-ass tables" get quietly rebranded with the name "PixelSense".

No details on pricing are yet available, and Microsoft says the Surface for Windows RT should launch when Windows 8 does (around Q3 2012), with the Windows 8 Pro version to follow after 3 months. Will Microsoft manage to become more Apple than Apple?

Go Microsoft Surface

Even though Q1 2012 WW smartphone shipments grow by 41% Y-o-Y and reach 144.6m units, most vendors are not enjoying the rapidly growing market-- ABI Research reports Samsung and Apple own most of both market and profits.

According to the analyst Apple and Samsung control 55% of global Q1 2012 smartphone shipments and over 90% of the profits. Samsung is also the only smartphone vendor other than Sony to experience sequential shipment growth in Q1 2012.

Is there a chance for a strong third to enter such a market? Nokia shipments are down by -40% Q-o-Q, and may even be soon passed by an ailing RIM (despite -20% Q1 Q-o-Q decline).

“Nokia will have to grow Windows Phone business 5000% in 2012 just to offset declines in Symbian shipments,” ABI says.

Vendors will also need to look at other markets to continue growth, particularly as the mature W. European market passes 50% smartphone penetration.

Go ABI Smartphone Market Data

Australian online CE retailer Kogan does not want customers to access its website with outdated internet browsers so much it just implemented the world's first Internet Explorer 7 tax.

That's right, anyone who makes a purchase while using IE7 pays a 6.8% surcharge (0.1% for each month the browser has been on the market).

Anyone who visits the Kogan website through IE7 also gets a message saying "you or your system administrator has been in a coma for over 5 years."

Why? Web designers don't like IE7 too much, since it is the least standards-compliant of all current browsers, thus demanding separate testing and design changes to make sites appear correctly on all browsers. Kogan believes such "huge" costs are not only unacceptable, and demands customers should download a more up-to-date browser.

"This will help us increase our efficiency, help keep prices for all smart shoppers down, and hopefully help eradicate the world of the pain in the rear that is IE7!" Kogan concludes.

Go Kogan: New Internet Explorer 7 Tax

The Metro Group-controlled Media Markt cancels entry in the Norwegian market, shelving 3 years of plans according to Norwegian business newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.

Back in March 2011 Media Markt announced it was going to open a total of 20 retail outlets in Norway, with one giant shop rivalling leading Nordic competitor, Elkjøp, in size. Stores were to open by Q3 2012, and Media Marked had even signed a number of land-related contracts.

But now, according to the Dagens Næringsliv, Metro will instead focus efforts on emerging markets such as Turkey, Russia and China.

Media Markt Nordics manager Mikael Hagman says "We knew that a launch in Norway would be tough... the competitive situation was known from day one and thus not part of the decision. It is entirely due to factors outside the region."

The newspaper also says Metro management might rethink the decision on whether to enter Norway or not-- but will probably only do within the next 4-5 years.

Go Media Markt Drops Norway (Dagens Næringsliv)